(Based on Swami Paramarthananda’s talks)
Our scriptures talk about three types of Iswara Darsana,
vision of God. They are Eka-rupa-darsana,
vision of God in the form of their chosen deity, Ishta devata; Viswa-rupa-darsana,
vison of anything and everything in world as God only; and Arupa-darsana,
contemplation of God as formless Divine, one’s Real Self. Most of the seekers confine themselves to the
first type of Iswara darsana and so they do not have the knowledge of
the conception of God as in the second and third level. But for a serious seeker it is the second and
third level that is more relevant. In
this blog let us see in detail the second level.
Scriptures teach that God is not only the intelligent cause but also the
material cause for this Universe. That
means that God not only created the Universe but also pervades the Universe as gold
pervades all golden ornaments. The ornaments are only gold with different names
and forms. Same way everything in the
Universe is only God with various forms and names. Isavasya Upanishad opens with the line: “Isavaasyam idagam sarvam,Yad kincha jagatyaam
Jagat (Whatsoever is here in
this changing world, is pervaded or covered by God)”. As everything in this world is pervaded by
God, one should learn to look at the world as manifestation of God alone. The five natural elements and the world made
up of these elements including all living beings are non-different from Iswara
and so one should look at the entire creation as Iswara.
Tamil
saint Tirumular says in a verse in his work, Thirumandhiram:
மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமதயானை (Maraththai maraithathu maamadha
yaanai)
மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமதயானை (Maraththil
marainthathu maamadha yaanai)
பரத்தை
மறைத்தது பார்முதல்
பூதம் (paraththai maraithathu paarmudhal bhootham)
பரத்தில் மறைந்தது பார்முதல் பூதம்
(paraththil marainthathu paarmudhal
bhootham)
The elephant (toy) hides the wood (with toy vision). The elephant (toy) disappears in wood (with
wood vision). Pancha bhuthas hide the Supreme (with
world perception). Pancha bhuthas disappear in the Supreme (with God perception)
Thirumular gives the example of toy elephant
made of wood here. A child is given a
toy elephant made of wood. The child
only sees the elephant and not the wood and enjoys playing with it as elephant.
But a carpenter who comes there sees only the wood and comments on the quality
of wood and he has no eye for the elephant.
In the same way when one has the world vision one sees only play of Pancha bhuthas and not the Supreme
pervading it, while with God vision one sees only God pervading the world and
not the Pancha bhuthas and all the sentient beings
and the insentient objects that make up the world. So in Viswa-rupa
darsana one should replace prapancha bhavana with Iswara bhavana
i.e. replace world vision with God vision that everything in the world is God only with different forms and names.
The most important
lesson one learns from this is that since everything is God and God’s
manifestation only no one can lay claim to his/her personal accomplishments. This
will help to resolve many of one’s mental problems. This can also be helpful to give up pride and
dedicate every action to God, thereby developing amanitvam, humility,
highlighted in Bhagavad Gita (13-7) as one of the essential virtues for Athma
Jnanam by referring to it as Jnanam itself. We have also instances of Svetaketu in
Chadogya Upanishad and devatas, Indra and Varuna in Kenopanishad who were
taught to become humble before receiving the highest teaching.
Viswarupa darsana also helps one to free oneself of matsarya,
jealousy. As all glory belongs to God,
one learns to appreciate the achievements of others and avoid getting jealous
or running them down. It also helps to foster the quality of giving up the
sense of ownership as everything belongs to God and one’s possessions and
endowments are only the ones temporarily entrusted to one’s care. Bhagavad Gita devotes one whole chapter,
chapter 11 to the Viswa rupa aspect.
Arjuna also from his universal attitude of aham/esham before the
start of teaching changes to the understanding that everything belongs to God,
as Krishna, after Viswa-rupa darsana.
Thus Viswa- rupa darsana helps in diluting one’s narrow outlook
and ego and expanding the mind to accommodate people and situations. One will also gain mental equilibrium in
accepting all forms of worship and become free of dwesha as one will be
hurting oneself only when hating others.
This also prepares one mentally for the next level of Arupa darsana,
the vision of God as a formless entity, eternal and infinite and of the naure
of Sat, Chit, Ananda, that is to be realised as one’s Real Self, the Athma.
(Adapted from Sri R.B. Athreya’s article on Swamiji’s talks)
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